A Child's Wish
by K.Blood
Summary: When you're a child it's great to have that one special person in your life who you know will always be there for you. Jenny/Julian. Fluff-fic. Oneshot.


_*Before you start the story please read the below disclaimer. It's very important.*_

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**Disclaimer:** The Forbidden Game Trilogy and all its characters were created and are owned by _Lisa Jane Smith_.

This is just a fan story based on _her_ works, using _her_ characters. All rightful credit is given to _her_. I make no profit from this.

**www. fanfiction .net**** and ****www. adultfanfiction .net**** are the **_**only**_** sites where this story is posted.**

If you see it anywhere else please let me know because that means it was stolen. Thank you.

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**Summary:** When you're a child it's great to have that one special person in your life who you know will always be there for you.

**Setting:** I guess you could say this is an alternative take to what happened in the books.

**Originally Completed/Posted: **August 2010

**Rating/Warnings:** Rated-PG(all ages). For fluff and an adorable little Jenny.

**Distribution/Sharing:** Links only, please. No translations or reprints.

**Word Count: **1,592

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**Author's Note:** I first wrote this a while ago but then had no idea where to take the story. It remained shoved in the "unfinished stories" pile collecting dust until I pulled it out again one bored night and spruced it up. I was still stuck without a proper plot for it when I realized that the first chapter works just fine as a stand alone. So here it is and I hope you like it. It's more cutesy than I normally write. I guess this was me experimenting with something new. Please let me know what you think of it. Enjoy.

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**A Child's Wish**

**By: K. Blood**

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Six-year-old Jenny Thornton sat on the back porch, letting her little legs dangle over the side of the deck. She eyed the grass as she fervently kicked her feet back and forth. A fat sun burned brightly overhead, setting her soft blonde hair afire in a golden haze. To anyone passing by she would have looked like a glowing—yet irritated—cherub.

Jenny hated living here. She had thought that moving would have been fun. Her parents had told her she would love _Cal-lee-forna_, but she didn't. It was always too hot, and even though Zach and his family had moved here too, they no longer lived next to each other.

Jenny missed living next to her cousin and the pretty cherry trees in their connecting back yards. She missed laughing as they played Indians under the sweet smelling pink flowers. Now there were no cherry trees and Zach lived such a long distance away that they had to drive in the car just to go see him. Jenny didn't like it, not one bit. The only bright side was that after they moved here her mother promised they would go to the beach and play in the ocean.

Jenny's forest-green eyes glanced up from her sneakered feet to the in-ground pool. They were suppose to have gone today, that was what her parents had said. She'd been really excited too. She had never been to a beach before. Not a real one, anyway. There hadn't been any oceans in Pennsylvania. However, earlier that morning Daddy had gotten a phone call and had to leave, saying work needed him. Jenny hated her father's work. Now they couldn't go to the beach—and she couldn't even go next door to play with Zach.

Mommy had tried to make it better by promising to let her swim in the pool later, but that wasn't the same. Jenny's face scrunched up with disappointment at just the thought of it.

She hated it here. It was too hot, Zach lived far away, and they couldn't go to the beach because of Daddy's stupid work. But most of all, she missed Grandpa.

Jenny's expression softened at the thought of the kind-faced old man who always smelt of peppermint candy. She hoped that Grandpa was okay, that he had gotten away from the monsters in the closet. Maybe he would show up and they could go to the beach together?

Jenny hoped so. She really missed him.

The light overhead grew dim. Jenny looked up at the previously clear sky to find that some odd gray clouds had drifted over the sun. She wondered if it was going to rain. She hoped not. If it did then Mommy would make her stay inside until it stopped, and that could last all day.

"You look depressed."

Jenny's face instantly lit up before she even caught sight of the voice's owner standing next to her. "Julian!"

He stood in the grass, letting his upper back lean against the wooden railing which encompassed the deck.

Julian used to be trapped in the closet with the same monsters who had grabbed her grandpa, but Jenny had let him out. Now he was her best friend.

Her excitement dulled slightly, replaced with a small frown as she considered what he'd said. "What's depressed?"

Arms crossed over his chest, he flashed her a humored smile. Jenny liked it when he smiled. He looked like an angel with his gleaming eyes and his hair the color of snow.

"It means sad. You looked very sad just a moment ago."

"Oh." Jenny's somber gaze returned to the pool. "We were going to go swimming in the ocean but now we can't."

Julian said nothing at first, only watched her thoughtfully out of the corner of his eye; his head tilted slightly in her direction. Just standing there, he made Jenny feel safer somehow. He always made her feel safe. Whether he was sitting at the end of her bed at night when all the light was gone, or when he held her hand during thunderstorms. He was her own personal guardian angel.

Her parents called him her imaginary friend. Jenny wasn't completely sure what they meant by "_imaginary,_" but if it meant something like invisible then that was right. After all, she seemed to be the only one who could see him.

"I have a present for you," he said, after a little while.

Jenny's eyes widened excitedly at the thought of a gift. Gifts from Julian were always special. He leaned toward her and held out his hand. His fingers uncurled in such a smooth manner that the normally common gesture made Jenny think of ballet dancers on a stage. In his open palm was a small, pearl-white seashell. The curly kind.

Carefully, Jenny took it with reverence. The light weight of it felt cold against her fingers. She'd seen others like it, bigger ones that her grandfather owned. She use to press them to her ears so she could hear the ocean's waves. This one Julian had given her was so much more beautiful than the ones at her grandfather's house. It had no cracks or holes, and when she turned it in her hand its milky surface gleamed.

"It's called a conch," said Julian. "And that one is very special."

"How?" She stared up at him. His daylight blue eyes were almost twinkling. They reminded her of sparkly gemstones, like the kind her mother wore whenever they went somewhere fancy to eat.

"Conch shells normally twist leftward. This one twists to the right. That makes it magical."

"Magical," she repeated with awe. Her gaze returned to the item in her small hand with renewed admiration.

"Yes. If you hold it tightly against your heart and wish with the full worth of your soul then your wish will come true."

"Really?" she asked, already believing.

He nodded.

"What should I wish for?"

"Anything you want."

Jenny considered it. She thought about the beach, about seeing her grandfather, about how much fun it would be to live next to Zach again. The little girl was quiet for a long time. Then, having finally made up her mind, she fisted her hand and pressed it against her chest. She closed her eyes tightly and thought very hard about what she wanted. So much so that her forehead started to hurt with the strain of her focus.

She opened her eyes and looked up at Julian. "Can I say it?"

Wishes were tricky things. Jenny knew that if you blew out all the candles on a birthday cake and didn't tell anybody your wish, then it would come true. However, if you threw a penny into the fountain at the mall then you had to say your wish out loud, or else it wouldn't happen. She had never made a seashell wish before and was not sure how it worked.

"If you want," he answered sweetly.

Jenny smiled. She liked his voice too. It was nice and soft and reminded her of music, but not normal music. It was like the kind you heard when rain droplets drummed on window glass, or when the autumn wind blew through leaves. It was what she thought of as "outside music," and Jenny loved hearing it.

"I want you to be with me forever."

For a moment he looked surprised. Then one of his heavy black eyebrows rose curiously. "Forever?"

"Yes," she nodded, feeling giddy and a bit shy.

"Forever is a very long time."

Jenny nodded again, her golden hair bouncing around her with the movement. A big smile spread across her face and brightened her eyes. Julian studied her. The little girl looked so innocent; trusting and full of light. He smiled too. "If that's really what you want."

"Yes."

"Forever it is, then."

Jenny laughed, feeling suddenly very happy. Julian always made her feel happy. He was her very best friend. Even more than Zach, or her mom, or the nice boy, Tommy, who she had met out on the playground.

"I love you, Julian," she giggled.

He stared at her, silent. The sudden seriousness of his features made Jenny frown in confusion. "Did I do something wrong?"

Slowly, the look was replaced with a reassuring half-smile. "No," he said, leaning down and planting a chaste kiss to her forehead.

The touch was light, like the brush of a feather over her skin. Jenny blinked. Julian rarely ever touched her. When he did it always felt like being dunked in cold water. She was awake, but somehow he made her feel more awake. Jenny's young mind couldn't fully process the sensation so she chose not to think about it too hard. Julian was an angel, after all. It didn't surprise her that he felt different from everyone else.

"You want to play?" she asked, bashfully staring down at the ground. She always felt a little embarrassed in front of Julian after letting him know how much she liked him. Still holding the shell, she wrung her small hands in her lap, hoping he'd say yes.

"Only if we may go into the house. It's too bright out here."

"Okay," she said, up in an instant and slipping the conch shell into the pocket of her shorts. "I'll hide and you can find me."

"I'll be the wolf to your lamb."

Jenny didn't quite understand what he was talking about, but his words made her laugh as she opened the sliding glass door and he followed her into the living room.

**~ End ~**


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